The list below was current as of January 2000. Please see http://microbialgenomics.energy.gov/organisms.shtml for a more current list of microbes being sequenced by grantees of the DOE Microbial Genome Program.

DOE-Supported Projects

*Aquifex aeolicus (bacteria extremophile, 1.5 Mb): Potential for identifying high-temperature enzymes.

*Archaeoglobus fulgidus (archaea extremophile, 2.3Mb): Potential for identifying high-temperature and high-pressure enzymes; useful in oil industry.

*Borrelia burgdorferi (bacteria, 1.3 Mb): Human pathogen that causes Lyme disease. One linear chromosome (915 kb) supported by DOE. Entire genome published by TIGR.

Caulobacter crescentus (bacteria, 3.8 Mb): Potential for heavy-metal remediation in waste-treatment plant wastewater; simple developmental cycle.

Chlorobium tepidum (bacteria, 2.1 Mb): Photosynthetic; may play important role in Earth's overall carbon cycle.

**Clostridium acetobutylicum (bacteria, 4.1 Mb): Produces acetone, butanol, and ethanol; useful for industrial enzymology.  Additional Abstracts: Genome Therapeutics, 

Dehalococcoides ethenogenes (bacteria, less than 2 Mb): Degrades dangerous solvent trichloroethene to benign products.

*Deinococcus radiodurans (bacteria, 3 Mb): Survives extremely high levels of radiation; possesses DNA-repair capabilities for radioactive waste cleanup. Additional Abstracts: UWM, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, PNNL.

Desulfovibrio vulgaris (bacteria, 1.7 Mb): High potential for bioremediation through metal and sulfate reduction.

Geobacter sulfurreducens (bacteria, 1 Mb): Reduces a variety of metals, including iron and uranium.  Additional Abstracts: TIGR.

*Halobacterium halobium plasmid (archaea, genome size 2 Mb, NRC100 plasmid size 190 kb): Potential for identifying high-salinity enzymes.

*Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (archaea, 1.7 Mb): Produces methane; plays role in earth's overall carbon cycle.

*Methanococcus jannaschii (archaea extremophile, 1.7 Mb): Potential for identifying high-temperature, high-pressure enzymes; produces methane.  Additional abstracts:  ANL.

Methylococcus capsulatus (bacteria, 4.6 Mb): Uses methane as single carbon and energy source; generates enzymes that oxidize some pollutants; used commercially to produce biomass and other proteins of interest.

*Mycoplasma genitalium (bacteria, 580 kb): Human pathogen; serves as model for minimal set of genes sufficient for free-living existence. 

#Nitrosomonas europaea (bacteria, 1.6 Mb): Important in soil nitrogen cycling and ammonia oxidation; promotes incorporation of carbon dioxide into biomass. Additional abstracts: JGI, 

#Nostoc punctiforme PCC-73102 (bacteria, 8 Mb): Fixes carbon dioxide and nitrogen; produces hydrogen; survives acidic, anaerobic, and low-temperature conditions. Additional abstracts: JGI.

#Prochlorococcus marinus MED4 (bacteria, 2 Mb): Abundant in temperate and tropical oceans; absorbs blue light efficiently; important in ocean carbon cycling. Additional abstracts: JGI.

Pseudomonas putida (bacteria, 5 Mb): High potential for bioremediation by reducing metal and pollutants.

**Pyrobaculum aerophilum (archaea extremophile, 1.8 Mb): Potential for identifying high-temperature enzymes.

**Pyrococcus furiosus (archaea extremophile, 2.1 Mb): Potential for identifying high-temperature enzymes.  Additional abstracts:  ANL.

#Rhodopseudomonas palustris (bacteria, 4 to 5 Mb): Fixes carbon dioxide; produces hydrogen; biodegrades organic pollutants under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions.  Additional abstracts: JGI.

Shewanella putrefaciens (bacteria, 4.5 Mb): Potential for degrading toxic organic wastes and for sequestering toxic metals.

*Sphingomonas aromaticivorans F199pNRC100 plasmid (bacteria, genome size est. 4 Mb; pNL1 plasmid size 184 kb): Deep-soil organism with potential for degrading toxic organic compounds.

#Synechococcus (bacteria, genome size undetermined): Photosynthetic; uses nitrate and ammonia as nitrogen sources.

*Thermotoga maritima (bacteria extremophile, 1.8 Mb): Potential for identifying high-temperature, high-pressure enzymes.

Thiobacillus ferrooxidans (bacteria, 2.9 Mb): Used in mining industry to sequester iron and sulfide.
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*Completed and published (see www.tigr.org/tdb/index.html) 
**Completed, not published (as of January 2000)
#BER Carbon Management Science Program, a part of the federal Climate Change Technology Initiative